


A Friend Without A Name

by tucuxi



Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen, Historical AU, M/M, Trope Bingo Round 5, Warring Tribes Period
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2015-09-06
Packaged: 2018-04-19 10:20:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4742684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tucuxi/pseuds/tucuxi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iruka is a symbol of alliance from the time of his birth.  </p><p>Naruto Warring States Period Historical AU -- pre-village foundation, handwaving the whole timeline thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Friend Without A Name

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cestus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cestus/gifts).



Iruka is a symbol of alliance from the time of his birth. His mother is Senju, his father Umino. Iruka’s birth cements the marriage alliance and means that the Umino, a small family without a kekkei genkei, are safe from the other warring clans.

When Iruka is five, his father tells him that he is no longer allowed to keep training with the other boys. When he is older, he will realize that this is connected to his mother staying in bed for months, to a series of miscarriages that nearly killed her and destroyed the alliance between their families.

* * *

When Iruka is thirteen he is allowed to train again, this time with only one other boy. The boy wears a mask over the bottom half of his face, but Iruka can always tell it’s him because of his fluffy grey hair and his crackling chakra. 

“You’re terrible at this,” the boy says. Iruka picks himself up off the ground and considers. He picks leaves out of his hair.

“Yes,” he admits. “But I’m getting better.” 

“I could have killed you six times by now,” the boy points out. 

“Then it’s a good thing it’s you,” Iruka says, “isn’t it?” 

* * * 

One day the boy doesn’t show up. He finally arrives late on the fifth day. 

“What happened to you!” Iruka demands. There is a new scar through his left eye. 

“I got in a fight,” the boy says. “Don’t worry, I won.” 

“No shit,” Iruka says. The boy wobbles, and Iruka catches him. “You idiot,” Iruka says, helping him sit, “why aren’t you at home.” 

“You were worried,” the boy says. “But I’m not dead.” He leans against Iruka and falls asleep. Later Iruka moves so the boy’s head rests in his lap, cards his fingers through silver-grey hair. 

* * *

The boy doesn’t tell Iruka his name, not even his first name, so Iruka knows he’s dangerous. Not as dangerous as his cousin Hashirama, but the boy has the kinds of scars you get from surviving death blows in battle. 

For his part, Iruka improves under the boy’s tutelage. 

“You’ll do,” the boy finally says, when Iruka wins four of ten matches.

“I’ll do what?” Iruka asks. The boy grins behind his mask. 

“Tell your father that I accept,” he says.

“Accept _what_?” Iruka demands. 

“You,” the boy says, as if this is completely obvious. 

Iruka decks him.

* * *

“I’m not a prize!” Iruka screams at his father. “You can’t just give me away!” 

“You will do what is best for your family,” his father says. “You have always known that.”

“Iruka,” his mother says, “please.” 

Iruka runs. 

The two Uchiha who catch him think he is Hashirama at first but Iruka produces no Mokuton. They are about to kill him when birdsong echoes from the trees. The boy spins through the air, left eye spinning red like oncoming death, and kills the two Uchiha in mere moments. 

Then he offers Iruka a hand up. 

“I’m Kakashi,” he says.

* * *

“I’m not very good at all this,” Kakashi says as they walk back to Iruka’s home. “Politics, I mean. But I like you, and it would help our families, so what’s wrong with that?”

“You don’t even know my name!” Iruka says. 

Kakashi shrugs, as if names are irrelevant. Maybe they are, Iruka thinks. He’d been content to think of Kakashi as “the boy” for more than a year.

“I know all the things that matter,” he tells Iruka. “So. What will it be?” 

“You’re crazy,” Iruka says, but when they walk into his family’s compound, they are holding hands.

**Author's Note:**

> Each section is exactly 100 words.
> 
> ETA: Well, I thought they were. Silly word processing software disagrees with AO3's counting algorithm.


End file.
